THE BAHA'I SCHOOL OF WRITING

Future, Past, Fertile Field for Baha'i Writers

Ever since Madame Blavatsky, or Mr.Hatcher, or someone at that jet-set of the Faith, the Baha'i International Community, coined the phrase, "Writing" has taken on new dimensions in the Baha'i world. They are claiming that the Baha'is are "writing the future"! Again! weeps MrDonut.

"In the old days," explained MrDonut, "The Bab and Baha'u'llah wrote, but they just wrote. After that 'Abdu'l-Baha and some of his friends, like 'Abu'l-Fadl, wrote. They wrote primarily trying to explain the things nobody understood in The Bab and Baha'u'llah's writings. When 'Abdu'l-Baha passed away, there was a great stir behind the scenes to come up with a convincing and authoritative Will to direct and guide the flow of money from believers in far-flung states such as Iran, Iraq, Russia, the U.S. and Canada to Bahiyyih Khanum's male relative and sole means of support, Shoghi Effendi. Bahiyyih was the first Baha'i to actually "write the future." Lucky for her Shoghi Effendi, who was no fool, got the Will validated by the Palestinian authorities before too many Baha'is could examine it.

Shoghi Effendi translated said Will into English for distribution to the Baha'is in the West. This made Shoghi Effendi the first Baha'i to write both the future and the past! It is not for nothing that Shoghi Effendi is noted even today for his skill in translating Farsi to English, and giving himself more leeway in his use of words than the Red Queen.

Shoghi Effendi passed away without leaving a Will, even though his mentor, 'Abdu'l-Baha instructed him to. Even so, he had been clearly and openly preparing the Hands of the Cause for the International Baha'i Council, precursor of the Universal House of Justice, and preparing them also for the leadership of this body by appointing Mason Remey its president. Shoghi Effendi favored Mason in many, many other acts and Mason always came through for the Guardian. Shoghi Effendi even went so far as to affectionately refer to Mason as his "son." He did not say this of any other Hand. It is not too far off the track to adjudge that Shoghi Effendi died in complete confidence that Mason would guide the Hands and all would follow what he had written for the future.

Ruhiyyih Khanum, his widow, persuaded by tooth and nail her associates of high rank ignore 'Abdu'l-Baha's stated instructions in His Will and toss Mr.Remey out. She was writing the past and the future, just like her husband had! Instead of supporting her dead husband's wishes, she frantically opposed development of the International Baha'i Council which Mason would have headed and castigated Mason for not going along with her. Today every seeker and convert to the Baha'i Faith is carefully taught to hate and fear Mason Remey. What a pity.

Ever since these salad days, the job of re-writing the past has fallen mainly to Baha'i Institutions. The National Spiritual Assemblies have done outstanding work here in suppressing most of the information you have just read. The rallying cry of the Baha'is is no longer "Ya Baha'u'l-'Abha!" but "Hunky-Dory!" Other Baha'i institutions have followed suit in not only re-writing the past but also in writing the future. In their oversight of individual Baha'i behavior, any institutional representative can answer any question with a blank stare and very, very quietly declare excommunication upon any Baha'i who doesn't like it.

Recently the British Baha'is held a huge wing-ding with the theme, "We are Writing the Future!" All MrDonut can say is, 1. Pray they will be writing it in English, unless the twisted trend towards "Unity" writes that everyone must learn Welsh and 2. Look out.